Harry Reid's "the New Sheriff in Town"

The Bush administration has proven time and again its contempt for Congress, most openly by misusing recess appointments (like in the case of U.N. Ambassador John Bolton). Senator Reid apparently wants to end this practise, which is wise considering that Bush might replace Gonzales by using another recess appointment in August. Here's the scoop:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a little trick up his sleeve that could spell an end to President Bush's devilish recess appointments of controversial figures like former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton. We hear that over the long August vacation, when those types of summer hires are made, Reid will call the Senate into session just long enough to force the prez to send his nominees who need confirmation to the chamber. The talk is he will hold a quickie "pro forma" session every 10 days, tapping a local senator to run the hall. Senate workers and Republicans are miffed, but Reid is proving that he's the new sheriff in town.

There is an interesting discussion in the comments thread over at Daily Kos whether this will actually work but you have to give Reid credit for trying by bringing some much needed Nevada values to Washington.

Barcelona Agrees With Rocky Anderson on Impeaching Bush

"Impeach Bush" is starting to become an international rallying cry. I was walking the streets of Barcelona, Spain, last December when I came upon this graffiti. At first I was surprised by this but then not so much. Considering how ridiculous the Clinton impeachment seemed to most Europeans, some are quite taken aback that the same measure is not used against George W. Bush.

There is hardly a more vocal critic in the Western United States than Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. He made national headlines with a rally against President Bush's visit to Salt Lake City last fall. This week he testified before the Washington State Senate in support of a resolution to impeach President Bush.

Here's an excerpt from his speech at an impeachment rally in Olympia, Washington:

The lies and the callous immorality of President Bush, and the outrages on human dignity he has perpetrated or countenanced, are a disgrace to our great nation. The President has weakened our country and sullied our reputation around the world. The time is long past due for the American people to stand up and speak out against this disastrous presidency and the Congress that refuses to hold it accountable. We are here today to say, "No more!"

No more Iraq war.

No more God-is-on-our-side religious nonsense to justify this immoral, illegal war.

No more torture of human beings.

No more denial of the right of habeas corpus.

No more kidnapping of people and sending them off to secret prisons in nations where they will be tortured.

No more glorification of torture by the entertainment industry.

No more centrally-owned, hysteria-driven, corporate news media complicit in selling the Bush administration’s lies to the American people.

No more unconstitutional warrantless wiretapping of American citizens.

No more manipulation of national intelligence for political purposes.

No more manipulation of our news media with false propaganda.

No more authoritarian assertions of power by the president.

No more silence by the American people.

This is a new day. We can unify in our insistence upon the truth, upon peace-making, upon more humane treatment of our brothers and sisters around the world.

We will continue to call for the impeachment of President Bush, a most appropriate response to his blatant abuses of power. We will continue to resist the lies, the deception, the outrages. We will insist that peace be pursued, and that, as a nation, we help those in need. Let us join together to break the cycle of hatred, of intolerance, of violence. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

We urge Congress, be silent no more.

We urge all Americans, regardless of party, be silent no more.

Let impeachment be the first step toward national reconciliation – and toward penance for the outrages committed in our nation’s name.